I’m going to use the word nettlesome in this entry. Watch for it.

I don’t like to fill up the water jug after I take a glassful.

I’ll tell you why. There are days, like today, when I take quite a few trips to the fridge to get a glass (or mug or cup as the case may be) of cooooool, refreshing water. The frigidity of the water is key, in this apartment, as it’s a veritable hotspot both figuratively and literally during the summertime. (Okay maybe not so figuratively.) So, given the frequency that I’m into the Brita, if I filled up the jug with tap water every time I poured a glass, I’d just be raising the temperature of the jug’s contents constantly throughout the day before it got a chance to get really cold. I much prefer to fill it up when it’s empty, which usually is at the end of the day, so the next morning I’m greeted with a big brimming jug o’ brisk clean agua. Do you see where I’m coming from? Away with tepidity! Begone! I’m not a bad man for not filling up the jug right away, am I? Oh tell me I’m good! I just want to be loved is that so wrong?

Meanwhile, not far away:

The Rolaids Dilemma

When I was working at Macneill Library Service, I happened to notice, as I happen to do a lot of things, how very often Jamie knocked back the Rolaids tablets. I thought it was strange. My father likewise always kept a big jar of them (fruit-flavoured Tums, actually) close to his bed. Well, here I am, a few years older, and what’s in my desk drawer, but a jar of Rolaids. Extra Strength (which I suspect means ‘bigger’ tablets) calcium carbonate and magnesia tablets U.S.P., Whatever that means. Over the years I started to get nettlesome bouts of heartburn more and more, usually in the evening, and at first, being the steadfast “bite the bullet” kind of a guy that I am, I would just sit it out – it’s not like it kept me awake or prevented me from doing anything (except for being 100% comfortable). But one night it just didn’t go away, so I finally tracked down a Rolaids and that took care of it. Invariably I’ll get this “heartburn” a few times a week, but it varies tremendously. I might get nothing for weeks, then in one night I might have to take several tablets as the fizzygoodmakefeelnice effect would only quell the beast for a short while. I’ve read some info on the net about heartburn and acid reflux and H.U.R.T.S. or whatever it is – but it’s all very confusing and doesn’t add up to me, so I don’t know if this is regular, run-of-the-mill recurring heartburn that I’m getting or if it’s something more. Anyone have a similar experience? Comment, damn you! Comment below!

Nettlesome: \NET-l-suhm\, adjective: Causing irritation, vexation, or distress.